Puella Elysium Madoka Divinitas
by AlcyonePeleiades
Summary: Even after Madoka reforms the system, there are still Puella Magi, still battles to fight. And there's still Homura. Is there a balance between hope and despair?
1. Prolog im Fegefuer

**Prolog im Fegefeuer**

"That smells really good," Kyouko remarked from her place on the couch, nibbling at a stick of pocky. "What is it today?"

Mami smiled. "It's a strawberry cake," she said. She glanced at the cans of frosting in the cupboard. "Did you eat my frosting again?" she asked absentmindedly, selecting one and placing it on the counter. "I like having them in stock."

"Sorry," Kyouko mumbled.

Mami shook her head, but she was smiling. "Remember I can't make cakes if I'm out of frosting."

"I said I was sorry…" Kyouko's apology almost sounded genuine this time. Almost.

Mami pulled out a knife and began smoothing the frosting over the cake, allowing her mind to be absorbed into the task. This was the ritual, what happened every night. It had been rocky at first, a month or so ago, when Kyouko had first moved in. Kyouko hadn't understood that she was not to be bothered too much while she was cooking, and she hadn't understood that Kyouko was actually showing her cooking deep respect when she slowed her nibbling to a crawl while food was being prepared. But they'd talked it over, and now it was all right. It was almost like they were sisters.

It was what Mami had always hoped the Puella Magi would be. And finally, years after becoming one, she had found it.

Homura arrived right on schedule, opening the door without so much as pausing to knock while Mami was preparing the tea. "Good evening," she said. She removed her shoes and sat on her usual cushion on the floor. She was such a strange girl. She rarely spoke of things unrelated to the mission at hand. She fought at her best when she had no distractions and had never hesitated to remind the others of that. Yet instead of working alone, she appeared at Mami's doorstep every night to patrol with the rest of them.

"Good evening," Mami replied. "Make yourself at home. The tea will be ready in just a moment."

And as usual, the last to arrive was Sayaka… though lately, it hadn't been unusual for her to fail to show up at all.

At the knock of the door, Kyouko sprung to her feet and rushed over. She pulled the door open in one swift motion. "Hey! I— About time you showed up!"

Sayaka was smiling. She hadn't smiled in days. And she laughed. "I'm not even late yet!" She pulled her shoes off and took her place at the table.

Kyouko came to the end of a stick of pocky and chewed on her lip for a few seconds, then smiled as well. "I'm glad you're here. Come on, Mami made strawberry cake today…" Why didn't she sound happy? Sayaka was smiling again. She'd laughed, and she hadn't laughed in so long. It was good. Everything was good.

Mami brought the tea to the table, served each of them in turn, returned to the kitchen, cut the cake. Sayaka was bright and sparkling like, come to think of it, Mami had never seen her before, even while she was shadowing them while she decided whether she wanted to become a Puella Magi, or right after her wish was granted. She chattered on and on about mundane things while they ate, so much that she barely ate or drank a thing, but Mami didn't have the heart to say a thing about it. Kyouko must have been thinking the same thing, because she didn't say anything looking at the near-full plate, just wrapped it in plastic and set it in the fridge.

As they left the apartment, Homura caught Mami's eyes. She looked over at Sayaka, who was still all smiles, then back at Mami.

Mami frowned. "What is it?" she mouthed, not daring to say it out loud, not wanting to do anything to break this moment.

Homura closed her eyes and shook her head. Without any explanation, she stepped away, gliding into her usual position at the front of the group. Once she took position, Sayaka quieted down. This, too, was ritual: Homura on point, Kyouko and Sayaka walking next to each other, Mami at the rear. She felt like a soldier from the Self-Defense Force commercials sometimes when they went on patrol like this.

"This way," Homura told them, only a few moments after they stepped outside. No one questioned how she knew that. Mami had learned a long time ago that Homura always knew, even without looking at her soul gem, when there were Magical Demons somewhere nearby. They walked a few blocks west as the sun sank behind them.

Sayaka broke ranks with the others when the barrier came into view. She ran forward and dashed in, transforming as she moved. Kyouko gasped and dashed to keep up. Homura didn't even speed up, and Mami reached the barrier at the same time she did.

Homura stopped before they entered the barrier and turned back to look at Mami. "Be careful," she said. Without any elaboration, she leapt gracefully inside.

Mami followed, confused. Homura never said anything so obvious. Everyone was acting so strangely. Why couldn't they all just be happy? Sayaka was happy…

Sayaka's sword flashed, far ahead of all of them. The remains of demons were scattered all around her.

Kyouko's spear twirled and threw a demon away from her as she pushed herself to catch up. "No, no, not like that Sayaka!"

As Sayaka started to laugh again, Mami realized she was looking at the remains of only one or two demons. Just in very small pieces, and tossed all over. Because that's what Sayaka was doing now.

Homura fired into the group and shot down a demon in what Mami would have considered a near miss if it wasn't Homura. Her face was the same blank mask as usual, with no indication that Homura was even capable of feeling anything.

Mami drew into herself and pulled out a gun, but she couldn't fire. She was too afraid she'd hit someone and not something.

Kyouko caught up to Sayaka. One of them was screaming. Maybe both of them were.

Homura shot down the demon she'd started with and moved on to another.

Sayaka's sword shrieked through the air.

Mami couldn't move.

She couldn't move.

And then it was all over and the barrier started to dissolve, and with it—

"Sayaka! Sayaka, no! You can't do this! Sayaka!" Kyouko finally, finally caught up and tried to grab on to an arm, but by the time her hand reached forward, there was nothing there at all. They were standing on the roof of the building they'd reached only a few minutes ago.

Without hope, Mami's eyes swept the rooftop.

But of course, Sayaka was gone. She'd disappeared. Because that's what magical girls did when grief overwhelmed them. This… this was how a magical girl committed suicide.

* * *

><p><em>Homura…<em>

_Homura-chan…_

_Can you hear me?_

_I'm right here with you… _

Madoka shivered. Another magical girl had lost the battle against despair. It was time to pay attention to something else.

_I'll never leave you. _

But Madoka did have her duties, and she would do them. That was the price of her wish. She breathed in the moment of fate and let it rest in her lungs for a moment. She sighed.

_Sayaka._

Madoka knew this would come for all of her friends. She could see it, how it would come for each of them in every world that ever was. But it hurt to think of that pain, that depth of pain that led to the moment when she was forced to take them home. It hurt for every magical girl, but this…

No more time for emotion. She sank into time. Tears formed in her eyes as she took Sayaka's hand. She held the soul gem and purified it and she couldn't not look could always see everything didn't pay attention to Kyouko's anguished expression. Or Kyouko's fate closing in on her, the things that could happen closing in on a single point. She had to help Sayaka now.

_Madoka…? Madoka-chan…?_

Madoka glimmered. That's right. Sayaka had known her before, in the worlds that never happened. Outside of time, she'd be able to remember.

_That's right, Sayaka-chan. It's me. I'm… different now._

_You sure are._

_You don't have to fight anymore, Sayaka-chan. It's over. Let me show you something, okay? I think it'll make you happy…_


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

Homura walked Kyouko and Mami home, clutching the pair of ribbons in her hand. It was the only thing she could do. Mami was in a state of shock, without a doubt unaware of her surroundings. Kyouko was acting only a little odd, teasing Homura about calling out the name of a person who didn't exist with a constant trickle of tears down her cheeks. When they reached Mami's apartment, Kyouko went to the fridge and tore into a slice of cake. Mami sat down and stared out the window.

When she was sure that Kyouko and Mami would be safe, Homura left them in the room and went out on the hunt. This was the world that Madoka wanted. She would protect it with all of her being until they could see each other again.

It was the fate of every magical girl to disappear now. In another world, one made impossible now, that fate had been much worse: death, or turning into a foul perversion of being followed by death. Madoka had changed that, and as far as Homura understood, she came to each magical girl individually to take them… somewhere far away and safe.

When Sayaka had disappeared, Madoka had _been_ there. Homura had almost, almost felt it.

It was completely dark outside as she walked down the sidewalk. She kept an eye on the soul gem in her ring. Apparently, Madoka had brightened it after the battle in the other world, but there was enough cloudiness to it that she could tell there was work to be done. Even in a world without witches, there would be despair, so there would always be work for magical girls.

While she didn't know just what she was looking for, when she smelled it, she knew she was close. The street reeked of burnt trash and rotten meat. She didn't falter. She'd smelled worse things in witches' barriers. She'd watched Sayaka and Kyouko and Mami and _Madoka_ die, and sat with corpses for what probably added up to weeks over all this time.

The streets weren't empty, but it felt like no one could see her, or anyone else. Homura clutched the ribbons tightly in one hand and held her soul gem out with the other. It was clear that no one would notice her. She could have transformed, but something held her back. Whatever was here might or might not know what she was. Perhaps it would be safer with a bit of stealth. Perhaps she wouldn't even have to do this anymore Madoka needed her to do her job and do it well. So she had to be careful with herself. It wouldn't be loyal to die right after returning to fight for her again.

A few blocks later, more easily pinpointed by the stench than with her Soul Gem, Homura located what was clearly some kind of barrier. There was little resemblance to a witch's barrier. It was a simple figure, all straight lines, divided into fragments. But her Soul Gem reacted to it, and she could feel something beyond it.

"All right," she said to herself. "I suppose it's time."

Homura placed a hand on the barrier and stepped through.

* * *

><p>"So no matter how much time passes, the story of the two of us remains in our hearts…"<p>

Haruka clicked the button to stop recording and smiled. This was only the sixth take, but she felt good about it. She thought her manager would like it. Still, it was always important to check over the recording for flaws. She switched from her clearly-expensive headset to a clearly-expensive set of headphones, leaned back in her chair, and listened to the recording she'd just made.

"—nee-chan? Haruka-onee-chan? It's time for dinner…"

Haruka sighed and paused the vocal track. Her parents had sent Hina up again, hoping that her younger sister would draw her down from her room. They'd probably told her something like "if you do it, Hina, of course she'll come!" And Hina was only nine and would probably cry if she didn't. It really wasn't fair of them to put her in the middle like this.

"Onee-chan…"

"I'm coming, Hina-chan," Haruka replied. "I'll be right down…" Just this once, she'd let it work.

She drew a deep breath and rose to her feet. Going downstairs in her pajamas would just cause more trouble than what she was already setting herself up for. She pulled out a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a bra. Hopefully that would do.

After changing clothes, Haruka yanked a brush through her hair and gave herself a quick look in the mirror. She thought she looked acceptable. Her clothes were hopelessly out of fashion, but that wasn't something that her parents paid attention to. She played with her hair for a few moments, considering putting it up rather than leaving it down, before realizing she was just stalling. It was time to go downstairs.

Haruka could hear the conversation downstairs go silent as her door opened. She swallowed and took a single step back into her room. No. As unpleasant as this was going to be, she'd told Hina that she would come down. She walked into the hall, closed the door behind her, and proceeded down the stairs.

"Good evening," Haruka said, and bowed formally. There was a full plate sitting at the table between her mother and Hina. She sat down. "Thank you for the meal," she said, and dipped her chopsticks into the rice.

"Onee-chan, you came!" Hina bounced in her seat. "I helped make dinner! Is it good?"

"It's very good," Haruka told her.

"I made the fish all by myself," Hina continued.

Their mother nodded. "Hina-chan brought it home from school. She's been doing a lot of cooking in her home economics class."

Her father gave Haruka a penetrating stare. She directed her eyes back to her plate. It is polite to pick up a small clump of rice with your chopsticks, not huge amounts.

"It was really fun!" Hina added. "Mayu-chan burned hers and she was really upset, but I didn't! Sensei said mine was the best in the class."

Haruka nodded her head. "I'm sure you were. You're very smart."

"Hina-chan is third in her class now," Haruka's father said. "She works very hard."

"I'm not that good…" Haruka could see Hina's puzzled frown out of the corner of her eye.

Haruka drew a breath, released it, and brought a square of fish to her mouth. It had too much sauce, but her sister had always preferred things drenched in condiments. Eat neatly and don't get sauce on your face or clothing.

"Your homeroom teacher has been asking about you, Haruka," her mother murmured. "He says that your classmates miss you."

That probably wasn't true. Haruka only had one friend at school, and they saw each other all the time. Chew each bite thoroughly before swallowing to prevent indigestion.

The unspoken question stared at Haruka, waiting for her to respond.

There had been enough shouting matches that one didn't even need to happen now. The silence was enough to hold all the bangs on the table and shrill voices.

Haruka rose to her feet and bowed. "Thank you. It was very good. I'm going back to my room now." She could pick up some more food at the convenience store when she went out that night. She'd go to sleep until her parents went to bed and then call Sumiko. The way her chest fluttered told her that there were Magical Demons somewhere close, anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>THE WARRIOR'S HAND TOUCHES OUR STRONGHOLD.<strong>

**THE WARRIOR APPEARS IN OUR STRONGHOLD AND STANDS BEFORE US. SHE SHOWS US HER TRUE SELF WITHOUT HER KIND'S EMBELLISHMENTS. SHE CONTEMPLATES OUR FORM.**

**THE WARRIOR'S WORDS: **What are you?

**THE WARRIOR DISPLAYS HER JEWEL TO US AND ASSUMES THE GUISE OF A WARRIOR. HER WEAPON RESTS IN HER HANDS.**

**THE WARRIOR'S WORDS: **My shield… where is it…?

**THE WARRIOR RAISES THE BOW. SHE AIMS IT AT ONE OF US. SHE DRAWS THE STRING BACK. SHE RELEASES AN ARROW. WE ARE HIT.**

**SHE IS NO SIMPLE WARRIOR.**

**WE DECIDE TO SACRIFICE THIS STRONGHOLD IN ORDER TO STUDY HER.**

**WE GIVE ONLY ENOUGH RESISTANCE THAT THE WARRIOR CONTINUES TO FIGHT US. HER MOTIONS WITH THE BOW ARE FLUID BUT LACK GRACE. SHE CAN ONLY SHOOT TRUE DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF THE JEWEL. THE ENERGY THAT RUNS ALONG THE BOWSTRING AND ARROWS IS ALSO OF THAT ORIGIN.**

**THE WARRIOR'S WORDS: **Madoka…

**THE WARRIOR DEFEATS EACH OF THE BODIES IN THE STRONGHOLD INDIVIDUALLY, PREFERRING TO REMOVE A SINGLE THREAT AT A TIME RATHER THAN ATTEMPT TO FIGHT ALL AS A BATCH. SHE REACTS IMMEDIATELY TO OUR ACTIONS. SHE HAS CLEARLY BEEN A WARRIOR FOR A VERY LONG TIME.**

**WE RECALL THAT WE HAVE SEEN HER BEFORE. SHE FOUGHT US ONLY HOURS AGO IN A LOCATION VERY NEAR THIS ONE. YET THERE SHE LACKED ANY SINGULAR TRAIT.**

**THE WARRIOR'S BREATHS COME RAPID AS SHE ELIMINATES US. IT IS THE REMOVAL OF THE FINAL BODY AND THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR STRONGHOLD THAT PROVIDE THE MOST INFORMATION. EVEN WE CAN RECOGNIZE THE BREAKING AND REFORMING OF SPACE AND TIME.**

**THE ARCHITECT HAS COME.**

* * *

><p>Note: Translated line from "Kimi to Futari" from Awesmoe at Wordpress, by Blah1234.<strong><br>**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"This was supposed to be over!"

Sayaka slashed her sword across one of the curtains on the walls. It split with a tear as if it were paper. It was not enough.

"It was going to be _over_! I was never going to have to see Kyousuke-kun with Hitomi-chan ever again, or even think about him! I fought like I promised Kyubey I would, killed witches and demons and I don't even know what happened anymore, but everything was over! I wasn't going to have to feel _anything_ anymore! And now I have dozens and dozens of Kyousuke-kuns in my head and they're all different and they all don't love me and I can't make it stop and _I hate you!_" Sayaka screamed and whirled around, eyes darting across the room. "Where are you? I know you're here! I saw you here, I know you didn't leave, I would have seen you leave! _Madoka!_"

The room, and Sayaka's heart, throbbed as if a giant speaker had played a deep bass note just under the range she could hear. She was shoved—she didn't fall—to the floor, and her sword dropped from her grasp and slid behind her on the carpet.

_Sayaka-chan… I'm here. Don't hurt yourself trying to get to me._

"I don't see you. Come out where I can see you." Sayaka edged back, feeling behind her for her sword. "Can't you even face me?"

_I always face every Puella Magi, whether I want to or not. That includes you._

The room hummed and shuddered, and… Madoka… or something like her… stood in the center of the room. Her skin was a whirl of colors and patterns that reminded Sayaka of witches' barriers, with draped over a body that couldn't quite decide its shape. Gradually, the form settled into one that was at least more familiar. Madoka stood before her as she remembered, but in the magical girl costume she'd drawn in her notebook and with her hair down rather than tied up with ribbons.

"Is this better, Sayaka-chan?"

Sayaka's hand found the blade of her sword. Her fingers slid to the hilt. "I guess."

Madoka sat on the floor. "You don't have to fight anymore, and you'll never have to see Kyousuke-kun again. I… don't know if I can make you forget."

Sayaka grasped the hilt and pulled the weapon toward her, but didn't pick it up from the floor. She drew a few deep breaths. "That was all I wanted."

"I- I'm so sorry, Sayaka-chan…" Madoka shook—no, she sobbed, just once. "I don't know if there's anything I can do for you. But—but I'll try! I won't give up!"

"You _told_ me, Madoka-chan. You told me it was over." Sayaka's voice shook. "I don't know if I can take this." She couldn't take this. She knew she couldn't take this. Was there even a way to kill yourself in a place like this?

Madoka sighed. "I'm so sorry…" She got to her feet. "I'll do anything I can!" Sayaka almost managed to feel a twinge of regret when she saw the tears in Madoka's eyes. "I'll show you around everything, you probably didn't really notice a lot when you came here—there's a room for everyone, from when they were back alive, you know, but you can also be with other magical girls any time you want, there are lots of us here!"

Sayaka nodded her head. There wasn't anything more to do but accept it for now. "All right. Show me."

Maybe once Madoka had showed her around the "Paradise" she'd constructed, she'd tell her how to die from here.

* * *

><p>Kyouko tore the wrapper from the popsicle and jammed it into her mouth. After all that, Sayaka was gone. There wasn't even a body to look at to make it feel real, like there had been with her parents.<p>

The worst part was that she'd known. Her father had taught her all that she needed to know about the way a person smiled when they'd decided to die. No, the worst part wasn't that she'd known at all. It was that she had decided. It was that she had seen Sayaka come in that night with a corpse's staring eyes and had decided that she would let her die the way she chose. She hadn't been able to go through with it in the end, but… if that was what her… friend wanted, then… it was okay if she wasn't able to keep Sayaka from…

"Kyouko-chan?"

Mami stepped into the kitchen behind her. "I can make dinner, if you want," she offered.

Kyouko didn't turn around. "Don't you have school in the morning?"

"I'm not going again tomorrow," Mami replied. "So do you want me to cook something? I have the ingredients for a lot of things, or I can go down to the convenience store if we need something special…"

Kyouko drew the popsicle from her mouth, letting the watermelon taste fill her mouth, and turned around to face Mami. If she wanted to cook that much, well… "Sure." She gave the popsicle another slow suck. "I don't really care what you make, anything would be great." She made herself smile, the one that she had practiced for charming young men into buying her lunch.

Mami nodded her head and hurried toward the pantry. "Let's see… I can make soba noodles, if that's okay… or maybe something sweet would be better… should I find the taiyaki mold?"

Kyouko answered something—she wasn't even paying attention to what she said—and took a bite out of the popsicle. Mami answered her with genuine pleasure in her voice; something about how just making a late-night breakfast would be great and miso paste. She could do something for Mami, even if it was a small thing.

It dawned on her that she was not going to have to mourn alone.

"Is red miso okay? We have plenty of that, though I should probably go get some tofu…" Mami pulled a few packages from the pantry and set them on the counter. She examined everything with a critical eye. "I can probably throw something together without going out if you'd rather," she added, giving Kyouko a quick glance.

Kyouko realized that she had let a genuine smile creep up on her.

She walked up to Mami and slung an arm over her shoulder, the other arm drawing the popsicle to her mouth. "So let's see what we have here…"

* * *

><p>Kyubey sat on a bench and wondered.<p>

Sayaka had been lost that night. It was a shame that she had allowed herself to succumb so easily. The girl was an excellent fighter. He'd made quite the good choice in selecting her, in telling her she was fighting for the boy's sake too. It never ceased to impress him how readily girls would contract to get something for other people… or how quickly depression spiraled when the target of the wish wasn't grateful enough.

Her comrades seemed to be holding up about as well as experience had taught him to expect. Kyouko was crying but pushing herself to live. She'd always been the fighting type. Mami was moping around. He expected her to be over it within a few days. She recovered quickly from adversity when she found some way to be useful. Granted, Homura's reaction was extreme, babbling about some person that Kyubey's brief investigation into her past hadn't turned up, but sometimes the "strong, silent" types were actually the ones most vulnerable to damage. The girl had a wall covered in information about her companions, their fighting styles, the kinds of strategies that worked best when they were together… and she'd known that Sayaka was coming apart. However, he was quite optimistic about the odds she would improve. She'd collected quite a few Grief Seeds in the day since everything had happened.

Still, Sayaka's loss meant that another Puella Magi was necessary as soon as possible for maximum efficiency, even If all of the current girls remained active.

Kyubey pondered his list of candidates. Kisa would agree readily after her interactions with other Puella Magi, but her potential was less than stellar. Hitomi had seemed promising, but now that she was in the relationship that she'd wanted for over a year, her motivation would be low. Hina would be a solid contract when she was older, but contracts with girls younger than eleven were rarely successful. Mai lived further from the most populated parts of the city than he really wanted, though the prospect of creating a Puella Magi that already had modern combat training before making the contract was quite tempting.

Well, no girl was ever the perfect choice.

The pros and cons of the situation whirled through his head for a few minutes. He wished he had a little more time to consider the situation, but something about the behavior of the Magical Demons the previous day was unusual. The city needed another guardian now. In fact, he worried that he would need to contract all four of them and then some in the coming days.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he sensed… something. Opportunity knocked. "Well, I suppose she'll do."

Kyubey teleported into Hina's room and bounced onto her bed, waking her with his paws. "Hey, hey! There's something you should see!"

The small girl rubbed at her eyes. "What…" She blinked. "What are you?"

"There's no time for that! Hurry!" Kyubey directed Hina's attention to the window. As always, his timing was precise.

Hina glanced out her window. "That's Haruka-onee-chan… outside…"

"That's right. We have to follow her. She's about to do something dangerous!"

"Shouldn't I tell Mom and Dad?" she asked, uncertain.

That was one of the problems of using barely-pubescent girls. "No, there's no time!"

Hina looked puzzled for a few moments before scooping Kyubey into her arms. "All right then…" She hurried down the stairs as quietly as she could so that she could follow her sister. Maybe that was the advantage of younger girls. They believed what you told them.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Homura paced her living room, trying to determine what she needed to do to see Madoka again.

Sayaka, from what she had gathered in the few moments she had seen the girl before she had disappeared, had attracted Madoka nearby when she used up all of her power in a single stroke. It would be simple enough to do the same. Homura had thought about it the first time she encountered a barrier alone. Could it be as simple as that? Making herself sit on the border of being a witch? Use herself up on a single blast of power and wait for Madoka to come?

What if that simply left her with just a moment's vision of Madoka before she died? What if, somehow, because she was from the time before everything had changed, she wouldn't see her at all? That wouldn't be enough. After everything that she had fought, all that she had sacrificed, seeing Madoka again just for a minute or so was unacceptable. And Madoka wouldn't want her to do that. She wanted Homura to fight on. The only choice for now was to do so, living in this world, keeping herself alive (did Madoka do anything for those whose Soul Gems shattered?), and fight until she knew the answer.

The first step to survival was to know your environment.

She looked over the walls. The former Homura had covered them with pictures, analyses, and other assorted information about her friends—comrades—whatever they were to each other. There was considerable information about their combat technique, a topic that the timid girl she'd been before becoming a Puella Magi never would have been interested in. This Homura clearly had a different history.

Homura wondered what the point of divergence had been. Her parents had still died and she still lived alone. There was no evidence of a heart condition, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. Like her, the former Homura did not need glasses, though whether she fixed her eyes with her Soul Gem or had never needed them at all would perhaps be a mystery. No one had seemed surprised by her carrying a bow around, so here she'd always had that…

And that was something important, because it was a reminder that her wish had been different.

Of course it had. In a world where Madoka had never existed, she could not have wished to be able to meet her again, to protect her.

She sighed. This wasn't getting her anywhere. She needed to decide what to do in the short term, for right now.

The next night would be Friday. She hadn't gone to school since everything happened, but it would probably attract too much attention if she stayed away too long. The authorities would want everything to line up nicely. It would probably be best to go back to school, even if she just slept through the day.

A selfish impulse clenched at Homura's chest. She was tired of being alone. She would go over to Mami's apartment for the evening. If she was careful, she would be able to draw information out of them without too much suspicion, and no matter what, she would get to eat Mami's cooking.

* * *

><p>"Everything checks out, Kamijou-kun. I give you the all-clear for playing your violin as much as you like." The doctor smiled. "I must apologize for telling you to give up hope on playing the instrument. All I can say is that I've never seen anyone, even a young person, heal so completely from injuries as severe as yours were. It's practically a medical miracle."<p>

Miracle… Sayaka had said something about miracles existing, hadn't she?

Kyousuke flexed his fingers a few times. "Thank you very much."

"As for your legs, the news isn't quite as good, but your physical therapy appears to be doing well. I'll talk it over with your parents, but I think you can begin participating in gym again. I would say starting at once per week and increasing as you feel up to it. If you do that, I strongly suggest that you don't push it, and bring your crutches with you in case you get weak. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Thank you." Kyousuke bowed. Thinking of Sayaka… why hadn't she been in school? She never took more than a day off, and even that was rare.

The doctor bowed in return. "Now I'd like to speak with your parents in private for a few minutes. You can wait in the hall."

One of the best things about not being hospitalized anymore was that instead of having to sit still and be talked about as if he wasn't there, Kyousuke could leave and not have to think about anything being wrong with him anymore. He stepped out into the hallway and sat in a chair in the lobby, a part of him marveling about how easy it was now.

He looked both ways around the lobby. While it was true that the hospital asked that you keep your cell phone off at all times, he was eager to play with his. It was a gift from his parents in celebration of his return to classes. When he was sure there was no one to see him, he turned it on and scrolled through the menu, looking for a game to play.

The cell phone buzzed in his hands. There was a new text message, from Hitomi. "Sayaka's mom just called asking where she is. Haven't heard from her. Do you know?"

Now frowning, he replied that he didn't. If Sayaka hadn't been sick, and if her mother didn't know where she was, and Hitomi didn't know where she was… that meant that she was really missing. Even the adults who were supposed to take care of anything couldn't find her.

Kyousuke turned his phone off and put it back in his pocket. When he had been in the hospital, he could count on her showing up every day to talk to him. They had always talked about his life and music, never anything about her life or her interests. It had never even occurred to him to think about what she did. Then, when he had left the hospital, Hitomi had confessed to him and they had started dating, and Sayaka had practically vanished from his world. He had stopped thinking about her. What had she been doing while he wasn't watching? Had she started doing drugs? Had she been doing favors for an older man? He knew some girls at school dated old men for pocket money. Sometimes that evolved into other things that kids in junior high were not supposed to be doing, and that could lead worse places.

None of that sounded like Sayaka, but how would he know? Really, in the end, he didn't know anything about her, except that she probably liked music or she would never have been able to talk so much about it.

"Kyousuke-kun! It's time to go home!"

He got up from his seat and went to join his parents. He thought about asking if they knew where she was, but... would they have any idea?

In the car on the way home, guilt won out. "Mom, Dad… Do you know what happened to Sayaka-chan? No one's heard from her…"

* * *

><p><em>Homura-chan. Can you hear me?<em>

_Try to be happy… do your best to be happy._

_I'm with you, and I'll find a way to bring you back with me. I promise._

It was time again. Madoka withdrew her attention from Homura and fluttered back to the place she thought of as her Paradise for Puella Magi.

_I have to go and kill Gretchen again. If you would like to come with me, then I would appreciate the help._

It was a regular affair. Defeating Gretchen only staved her off for a while. It wasn't permanent. There was always a balance between hope and despair, and part of that meant that Gretchen would never really die. Every time that she did it, she knew that she would only return stronger the next. Already, Gretchen had developed the ability to warp time, though she didn't seem to understand the potential for destruction that held. All the sacrifices that all the Puella Magi through time had made would be worthless if she didn't win every time.

A few of them answered her mental call.

Madoka was surprised to realize that Sayaka was among them.

She gripped all of them in her mind and pulled them out to the moments just before Gretchen would appear, then made herself tangible to prepare herself for the battle. It was much harder now that she had given her bow to Homura.

"All right… for those of you who have never come before, let me explain." She glanced over the group. As usual, the green-haired girl who had been her first rescue smiled at her. A girl in a bear costume settled into place. A pair of twins with identical black braids looked up at her with deep respect in their eyes. The youngest Puella Magi she had ever encountered, only about four years old, sucked her thumb in a gesture that would have had Madoka sending her packing back home had she not known exactly what she was capable of. Sayaka was actually the only new one there. She had a blank expression.

"I'm the only one who can actually harm her," she explained. "What you can do is knock her back and warn me if something strange happens. Position yourselves around her. Your first priority is to keep her within that space, to limit the amount of damage she can do. If you shout, we'll all hear you. Don't worry. All of you are safe."

Something screeched.

"I have to go. Thank you all for your help."

This fight only got more difficult. Madoka almost wished that she hadn't given Homura her bow, but she banished the thought. This felt more appropriate, at any rate… using her own hands. She made sure her gloves were securely in place and simply tore into the form of the beast.

Gretchen had no blood, no innards. She just… was. At first it felt like there was mere smoke under her hands. Madoka shoved further, hands back-to-back in a wedge, as she pushed forward. Her hands hit something that, curiously, felt like Jello. She pulled it apart and dug further, part of her noting that it didn't even dirty her gloves.

"She's coming up behind you!"

Madoka turned, and dodged the—tentacle, perhaps—that was coming for her, but Gretchen caught her with the cut in her side, squeezing her in. She clutched her hands over her Soul Gem to keep it from being crushed and kicked out, leaving as much destruction behind her as she could. Apparently, Gretchen was getting smarter. She tried not to think of it as her witch self getting stronger at times like this.

Vicious swipes with a sword pushed Gretchen back a few meters from where Madoka stood trying to compose herself. She risked a glance to make sure she was seeing what she thought she was. Sayaka gave her a fierce nod.

Madoka swallowed and pressed on. Just this plain clawing and tearing wouldn't do this time, not as Gretchen grew more intelligent. She closed her eyes for just a moment and drew a breath. This was going to be dangerous, and if it worked, which it might not, it would only work once. Still, for the moment, it was all she could think of.

"Keep her still as you can!" she shouted. She smiled bravely, shuddered, and jumped.

As she pressed herself onward, she thought that her gym teacher would have been proud of that dive. Then she was completely immersed in fog so thick it might have been solid. She had to adopt a strong kick as she delved deeper and momentum faded.

Madoka wasn't sure how deep in she was, but as Gretchen writhed around her and tried to crush her flat, she decided that no matter where she was in the mess, she would have to do it now.

She pulled herself into a tight ball, then _shoved. _

Pushing not only with the strength of her entire body but also with that of her mind, Madoka let the energy expand until the first hint of the nothingness of space drew against her power. She reined herself in. While Gretchen could not harm the other Puella Magi anymore, it was possible that she could.

Exhausted, she looked around. Small remnants of Gretchen faded from sight. The other girls were clustered together, looking tired as well. It had probably been difficult to keep Gretchen in one place long enough for the attack to work, rather than result in Madoka simply running through and out the other side, or only blowing up a small portion of her.

Herself.

Sayaka reached out and plucked the Grief Seed from the air. It only took her a moments' examination. She looked at Madoka.

Madoka nodded.

Then she closed her eyes, faded, and brought the girls back.

Her attention shifted to Homura. _I'm with you. Please hear me. I'm with you._


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Three of your students have been absent for several days, Saotome-san."

Kazuko fidgeted. Having three students miss three days of school never looked good. "Akemi Homura has called in sick for each of these days. It's possible that she has had a relapse of her heart condition."

"As for the other two?" the principal asked.

"Miki Sayaka has been reported missing by her parents," she replied. "I have been asked to discuss the matter with the police." This was even more uncomfortable. No one in administration ever wanted the police snooping around the school. When the principal said nothing, she continued, "As for Yamaoka Sumiko…" This was the worst. "I don't know. No one at her home is answering phone calls. I plan to make a visit to her home after school tomorrow if she still doesn't come." Waiting several days even if there was no communication was the established protocol…

The principal sighed. "And both of these things were entirely unexpected?"

"Yes, sir," she muttered, head down. "Yamaoka-san is the class representative and has always been a good child. Miki-san is sometimes noisy but there was no sign she was involved in anything illicit."

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Fully cooperate with the police and see to it that you visit Yamaoka-san's home if she doesn't reappear. And if Akemi-san doesn't return, have someone take her schoolwork to her. This will be going on your record, you know."

Kazuko nodded. There really wasn't anything she thought she could have done, but there always had to be someone to blame…

"Perhaps you should stop going out on dates so often so that you can focus on your job," he continued. "A parent has complained you spend a lot of homeroom discussing these things."

"Y-yes, sir." He knew that? Someone had actually complained?

"Go home." The principal gestured toward the door of his office. "I have other teachers to deal with."

"Yes, right away," she replied. It made her feel better to realize that she wouldn't be alone. Two other teachers had students that had been missing for some time. All girls. What was going on with girls lately?

Kazuko sighed with relief as she left the office. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket. Just a few more minutes and Junko would be done with work, and if she wasn't working overtime by too much, they could hit the bars.

Actually, she might go even if Junko didn't.

* * *

><p>"Something is coming, Akemi Homura."<p>

Kyubey was prepared for her reaction to be out of step with those that she had displayed previous to the loss of Miki Sayaka. However, he was not prepared for the rage in her expression, nor the bow drawn and pointed toward his face.

Then she forced her arms back down to her sides, none of the tension leaving her body, and Kyubey wondered if this was a good idea.

"Is it?"

"I believe so." Even if she had lost it, there was nothing to be gained by keeping her ignorant of it. "Don't you sense it? The increase in demon attacks, the high turnover of Puella Magi, the frightened humans everywhere… Something is going to happen soon."

"Couldn't it just mean something happened to make everyone miserable?" Homura asked, her eyebrows raised.

"You should know better than that," Kyubey replied. "The feelings of humans are what cause these events to happen. That's why you're such a good source of energy. Human feelings have always spurred them to action, one way or another."

He watched Homura work her fingers. The arrow finally dissipated. "In that case, I agree with you," she said. "It does seem that way."

"You haven't been doing well since Sayaka disappeared. You've been… emotional. It isn't like you." Homura had been the human closest to understanding his species' way of thinking. He had encouraged her and the growth in her rationality had won them many Grief Seeds. "I need you at the top of your game. Can I count on you?" He could plan on someone else, and indeed had already laid the groundwork for letting Sakura Kyouko lead his Puella Magi if Homura was unrecoverable, but she had been better than this.

Homura nodded. Her expression became a mask, not as solid as the one she had had before but serviceable. "I will protect this world." She paused. "Here. Take this." She dug into her pockets and tossed a dozen Grief Seeds his way. "Don't talk to me for the rest of the day."

Kyubey busied himself with absorbing the energy from the Grief Seeds, but his attention was focused on her clipped footsteps across the pavement as she walked away. This was good. She would do after all.

* * *

><p>Something was wrong.<p>

Sumiko hadn't been online in two days now. She wasn't answering texts. Haruka had tried calling her, even though she hated using the phone, but she hadn't answered that either and she hadn't called her back. Sumiko was always on the phone when she wasn't at school, and even then she usually stepped into the bathroom and called back within a few minutes. Even though she was the class representative and everything, she still…

Haruka fidgeted with her cell phone. She hadn't been to Sumiko's house since junior high, and even then she had only been once or twice before they decided that meeting at the convenience store was easier. Her apartment building was on a side street that was hard to get to, and then her apartment building itself had so many twists and turns…

But something wasn't right, and she had to go find her.

Haruka put her cell phone in her pocket and popped a piece of gum in her mouth. She walked up to her door and listened. Silence in the hall. Well, it was 2 AM. She opened the door noiselessly, pulled it closed behind her, and padded down the stairs. She stood still and listened again. No noise. Good.

She put her shoes on at the doorway and started her walk down the street. Her Soul Gem's light pulsed, but she ignored it. There would be time for that later. She was poor at combat, anyway. Her power was best suited for distraction. She pushed through the familiar churn of her stomach when she ignored Magical Demons and picked up her pace a bit.

Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe Sumiko was just sick. Still, she would have to be very sick not to answer her phone. She was a cell phone addict and texted compulsively. Even if she was that sick it would be something to worry about. (Do Puella Magi even get sick? She never had. She couldn't remember if Sumiko had.)

But… they were sixteen. They'd been Puella Magi together for five years now, and that was far longer than most of them lasted. They'd seen so many others come and go. The same fierceness of heart that would lead a girl to knowingly wish herself into a zombie just increased the likelihood that she would fall into the despair that drew her to death in the end.

Haruka felt her jaw tensing and unwrapped another stick of gum. And started to jog.

It became harder to tell the sick feeling of ignoring Demons from the sick feeling that she knew what had happened.

"If it was time, she would have _told_ me," she mumbled.

She pushed herself into a full run, because… she wasn't sure.

It was so hot for being just the end of April. Her hand dipped into her pocket and grabbed another stick of gum, which ended up in her mouth without even being unwrapped in the effort not to grind her teeth. Left turn here, left again, right right left. Spit out the gum-and-paper mix onto the sidewalk and replace with two fresh sticks. The burn of her muscles as they tore from the exertion of running at her fullest Puella Magi speed in the night (and damn the consequences) and the cold fizzing as every tear kitted itself back together. The air as it screamed in and out of her open mouth and rolled over her body. Another two sticks of gum into her mouth as what was there got thin.

Haruka jumped rather than climb the three flights of stairs. Now… which way was it…

She slowed to a jog and checked the apartment numbers. The odd cloverleaf-with-oddly-placed-connectors design of the apartment building made it so easy to get disoriented…

She compared the address on her cell phone to the apartment number in front of her. 452.

One of the skills a good Puella Magi acquired quickly was lock-picking. A locked door should never stop one from getting into a room, and it was much easier to prevent curious people from investigating your actions without the loud thump of a door being kicked in. She knelt on the floor and pulled the necessary tools from the bottom of her purse. Most residential locks were shamefully easy to pick, she'd learned. A bit of pressure from a tension wrench and a tug from a snake rake did the job, and the bolt slid to the side.

Haruka felt her heart pound. How strange that it could pound, so rhythmically and so hard, when really, she was dead…

Their house was quiet. Of course it was quiet. It was the middle of the night.

She took off her shoes at the door and stashed them away. She swallowed the gum so that the loud chewing wouldn't give her away. She frowned as the mint dissipated, leaving a rotten smell hanging in the air. Someone had forgotten to take out the trash or something.

Haruka walked through the kitchen. There was a note on the fridge, scrawled so messily it was hard to make out, something about being called out on assignment for the next few days. That was probably from Sumiko's father, a reporter, who was gone more often than he was home. Sumiko's parents were divorced. She lived with her father in the city, even though he was gone a lot, because Kyubey had asked her to stay here.

The smell wasn't coming from the kitchen. The trash can was empty. It didn't even have a trash bag in it.

Sumiko's door was closed. Haruka swallowed and walked up to it. "Sumiko-chan?" she called. She found herself being quiet even though her friend was the only one in the house. "Are you awake, Sumiko-chan?"

There was no answer.

She knocked. "Sumiko-chan?"

There was no answer, but that didn't surprise her. She… thought she knew.

She opened the door.

The smell was overpowering. Flies buzzed above the bed. Sumiko was in her school uniform on top of the covers on the bed. Her eyes were open. Her stomach was bloated enough that her shirt had pulled loose from her skirt. Her skin was yellowed in places, bruised in others.

In her hand was a small hammer.

On the floor next to the bed, in a tiny pile, were… purple shards of glass…

This was not what she had thought.

But… Haruka had seen dead bodies before. This, too, was part of becoming a Puella Magi. She knew what to do.

She turned around and used her shirt to wipe her fingerprints off Sumiko's doorknob. She pulled the door shut. She walked back through the kitchen to the front entrance. She put her shoes on. She wiped her prints off both sides of the doorknob and closed that door, too. She walked down the hallway, down the stairs, out of the building. She stumbled down the street a block and threw up.

Somehow, her body took her home. All she could think of was the hammer in Sumiko's hand, and the purple glass.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

There was a knock on the door while Mami was cooking dinner. She was about to call to Kyouko to answer it—it was still a wonder she'd become used to having someone else there, sometimes—but remembered that she was off wandering around as usual. She glanced over at the dishes and hurried to see who it was.

Homura was worth letting in.

After the ritual apology for entering someone's home, Homura frowned. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"I'm just in the middle of cooking dinner," Mami replied, already doing calculations in her head to add a third person to the meal. There wasn't going to be enough rice... "Make yourself at home. Kyouko should be home… eventually, and the remote's on the table."

Homura nodded her head and began removing her shoes while Mami returned to the kitchen. After a few moments, she heard the television turn on. "…now suspect the yakuza of being related to the string of missing girls…" Homura drummed her fingers against the table. Which was odd, because she had never been one to fidget before.

Mami checked on the side dishes—nothing seemed to need much attention at the moment. She walked into the living room. Would Homura take this well? She had never been one to answer personal questions. Still… "Are you all right?"

Homura twitched. "I… I'm all right." She continued to watch the television announcer ramble, now about Princess Aiko and her continuing problems with school attendance.

"It's okay if you're not," Mami said. "Kyouko and I are kind of shaken up about Sayaka." It would be too much to ask to suggest that Homura spill out her heart to her…

Homura nodded her head. "I'm all right." She continued to stare at the TV.

"…mental health professionals hope that this will be used as a chance for the nation to seriously consider the issue of school refusal, which they see as a precursor to the hikkikomori phenomenon…"

It was difficult to think of something that Mami could do for Homura. She had always been so independent. She hadn't even ever mentioned what her wish was.

"Are we going hunting tonight?" she asked.

Homura nodded. "I've only gone once since Walpurgis Night, and I…" She clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Walpurgis Night?"

Homura sighed. "Since… Sayaka," she mumbled. It wasn't convincing at all.

"What's going on?" Mami demanded. "Something's strange. What's Walpurgis Night? And… that name, from that night… who's Madoka?"

"…accident downtown when a tow truck collided with a concrete truck. Two have died and three were critically injured…"

"I… don't think I can tell you," Homura said. "Just… maybe I'm not who you think I am. But I'll try to be. Please…" Her voice shook. "Please don't ask me again."

"…drunk driving is not suspected in this…"

Mami swallowed. "All right," she agreed, hoping she wouldn't regret saying so. Though… she would tell Kyouko… and Kyubey… about this. "Then… dinner soon, and then we'll go hunting." She tried to pull her mind away from Walpurgis Nights and Madoka, and instead think of how she was going to stretch the rice for all of them. "Your… your hair ribbons are very pretty."

Homura choked. "Thank you," she said. She moved as if she was going to get up from her seat, but then stayed put.

Apparently, hair ribbons were something else that would need to be mentioned…

* * *

><p>"Maybe they're lesbians and they ran away together because their parents would never approve."<p>

Shut up…

"Miki-san maybe, but Yamaoka-san never seemed like the type to fall for other girls."

Shut up…

"Well, you can never know. They did disappear at the same time."

Why…

"I never even saw them speak to each other."

Why won't you just…

"Then it's the perfect hidden romance!"

"_Shut up!_"

Hitomi was on her feet, was facing the rest of the classroom, was staring at herself from what felt like miles away.

"Stop gossiping about them like that! It's so rude! Yamaoka-san is our class representative! Miki-san is our classmate! Just… shut up!"

Her knees buckled and she collapsed back into her seat, trembling.

"Just… please shut up…"

Hitomi lay her head down on her arms on the desk. The room simmered with whispers. She could guess what all that was about easily enough.

"Hitomi-chan…"

Kyousuke walked toward her. She could tell his footsteps from anyone else's. She wished it was because she knew him so well, but it was only due to the rhythmless, heavy sound.

"Hitomi-chan, are you…"

Before he could ask the (stupid) question, their homeroom teacher stepped into the room. There was an awkward shuffle—it was a break between classes with at least ten minutes to go and the next teacher to step in was usually their English teacher, plus the awkwardness that came with the class representative having been missing for an entire week.

"Students… no, stay seated, Kamijou-kun, you can stay as you are…"

The wavering tone in Saotome-sensei's voice convinced Hitomi to look up.

"Instead of having class next period, there's going to be an assembly in the auditorium," she said. "After that you'll be dismissed for the day. So please gather your belongings." She was pale and her hands shook. It was clear enough that something bad had happened.

Hitomi swallowed. If Sayaka had—she had been so broken up when she'd last seen her, so upset over Kyousuke, what if she had…

Not Sayaka… please, not Sayaka.

She didn't remember packing her things, but she must have, because when she got home everything was neatly placed in her bag. She remembered Kyousuke-kun walking next to her down the hallway to the auditorium and the talking, and how a lot of people sounded so happy to be getting out of classes for the day and how sick that made her feel…

They took their seats, and the principal stood at the podium. She was too far back to read his facial expression, but he said nothing as the students filtered in to the room, no directions on where different classes should be sitting or continual admonishments to please be quiet.

Hitomi looked down at her shoes. Not Sayaka. Let it be anything else, but not Sayaka.

"Students… please quiet down." The bleak tone of his speech was enough to somber up the student body. He straightened his tie and sighed. "Students, I have gathered you here today because I feel that you should hear this news first from someone who cares for you, not the evening news."

Not Sayaka, please…

"One of your classmates, Yamaoka Sumiko, was found dead this morning…"

Hitomi tried not to smile. She really did. But it was such a relief that it wasn't Sayaka, that Sayaka hadn't killed herself because of…

"There are some indications that she may have been murdered, and police investigations...please stay together and be mindful of your safety…club activities are canceled for today…homeroom teachers will stay to talk to students…"

The rest of it was meaningless.

Kyousuke had to call his parents to pick him up, as he couldn't manage the walk home on his own. Hitomi did not stay to wait with him. She muttered some kind of apology and walked home.

"It… wasn't Sayaka," she murmured as she unlocked the door.

She frowned down at her floor. A white… rabbit, perhaps… sat on her floor, smiling up at her.

"Don't be afraid. My name is Kyubey. I apologize for barging into your home without your permission."

Hitomi swallowed and stared.

"I promise I'm real. Here." It walked up to her and hopped on to her shoulder. She could feel the weight and a stroke of soft fur against her ear.

"Hello, Kyubey…"

The… thing jumped back down. "Listen, Hitomi… I can tell you what happened to Miki-san."

Hitomi closed her eyes. "Then tell me."

Even though her eyes were closed, everything went white… there were ivory-white giants standing in a circle, chanting… A speck of blue appeared, a tiny dot… but she knew it was Sayaka. Then her entire field of vision was covered with blue lines… and there was an explosion of blue… and…

"Miki Sayaka was a warrior. She fought because she wanted to protect her loved ones."

Hitomi didn't open her eyes. "She's dead."

"Yes, she's dead."

"Why hasn't anyone found her body?"

"Among Puella Magi—the kind of warrior Sayaka was—it's common for there not to be. The body is usually consumed in the destruction of the enemy barrier."

But… the timing had been a coincidence. Sayaka hadn't killed herself. It was an accident, a casualty of war, not a suicide…

"But… why was she… fighting?"

"Puella Magi are granted one wish, anything they want, in exchange for becoming warriors. She had a wish that she wanted fulfilled."

Hitomi swallowed. "What did she wish for?"

"She wished to heal Kyousuke's arm, so he could play again."

Oh.

"I've come to ask you to take her place," Kyubey said. "Will you make a contract with me and become a magical girl?"

There was no choice.

* * *

><p>Sayaka wasn't quite sure where to look for Madoka. Really, she wasn't quite sure where she was at all.<p>

Madoka's heaven, her Valhalla, reminded her of Mitakihara, but it was far bigger than that. One of the other girls there—she hadn't paid attention to her name—had told her that since every kind of girl had become Puella Magi over the millennia of human existence, there had to be a place where every kind of girl could be comfortable.

Before, when she'd sought Madoka out, some of the other girls had suggested she try a room that was practically a throne room, somewhere that an Empress might take an audience with her subjects. Madoka had never been that kind of girl, and after a battle like that, she would want to be somewhere that _she_ would be comfortable.

If Sayaka was going to say… if she was going to say that… she was sorry… It would be selfish to do it on her terms. She didn't want to… invoke Madoka like a kami at a Shinto festival and demand that she pay attention.

Except that left her with the problem of not knowing where to look at all.

"You look lost."

Sayaka glanced down to see a girl, ten or eleven years old, her hair tied up in a big pink bow. She played with the tassels on the end of a thick scarf wrapped around her neck. "If you want to go somewhere you can just think really hard about it, you know! It's really cool!" She glanced up at Sayaka again. "Or do you not know where you want to go?"

Sayaka smiled. It was hard to imagine this gleeful child as having a desperate wish. "I want to talk to Madoka," she said.

The slender girl tilted her head. "But… you can just ask for her to come anytime." She brightened. "It's like this!"

"No, don't—"

"Madoka-sama!"

Without preamble, the girl in question appeared in front of them. "Sachiko-chan, you don't have to be so formal…" Madoka's eyes met Sayaka's. She didn't say anything more, and Sayaka couldn't find words.

"Madoka-sama, this girl wanted to talk to you." The little girl put her hands behind her back and looked up at their faces. She took a step back. "Is she not supposed to…?"

Madoka's gaze remained fixed on Sayaka as she responded. "She can talk to me whenever she likes." She smiled down at the small girl. "Thank you for helping her." She handed the shorter girl a lollipop from out of nowhere.

Sayaka missed the younger girl's reaction entirely as Madoka clung to her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're not mad at me anymore, Sayaka-chan!"

"I'm so sorry," Sayaka choked out. "I am so, so sorry."

When they finally let go of each other, Sayaka realized they were elsewhere entirely. Or that their location had become a different place. It was a bedroom, stuffed animals everywhere, pink childish decorations… it had to be Madoka's room, but it looked like it belonged to a girl in elementary school.

"You're… not like I remember," Sayaka ventured. "I guess I didn't understand."

Madoka nodded her head. "I'm sorry, Sayaka-chan. I didn't know that you'd remember everything once you got here… no one else remembers except me, and I remember things that didn't even happen." She laughed a little with a shy smile on her face. "I just… I had to save you. And I wanted a friend to be here with me."

"Save me? I died…" Then she remembered something else from that confused chunk of time. "But Madoka, in the place I come from, Puella Magi don't become witches."

Madoka nodded her head. "Yes… and I make sure of it."

Sayaka felt as if she was back at school, staring at the whiteboard, trying to figure out how the teacher had got to the end of the math problem. "How?" she finally asked.

"I wished that I would keep all witches from ever being born. With my own hands." Madoka smiled. She bit her lip a bit. "It doesn't work so well with my own witch, though. I guess because she's mine. But everyone else's I take care of. And everyone comes here and lives with me and…"

That would explain it.

"I'm so sorry I got so angry, Madoka-chan," Sayaka said. "I guess I really didn't understand… You have to do a lot of stuff…" She looked down. "I guess I still don't really have a good idea of it. But I want to help. As much as I can."

The whole room filled with light. Sayaka looked up to the disconcerting sight of a Madoka _literally_ glowing. "Oh, thank you, Sayaka, thank you so much!" She hugged her blue-haired friend again, and the pink light dimmed. "Sorry," Madoka mumbled. "I kinda do that sometimes when I get all excited…"

"It's okay," Sayaka said, and giggled. "It's kind of cute. Just what I would expect from my sweet childish Madoka-chan!"

"Hey!"

Well, Sayaka reflected, she would have to get to know Madoka all over again, but at least that still worked.

Author's Notes: My apologizes for how long this chapter took; I was struggling with presentation of the Sayaka and Mami sections, and I was unsure if Hitomi's story should begin in this chapter. Thanks for your patience.

Poor Sumiko. I was all excited about using Patricia as a character and then she died too early on to even get a scene to herself.


End file.
